In my country people are divided along tribal and clan lines. Some of the clans are culturally outcast and are not allowed to mix with other clans on marriage terms. They lead a painful life, which could only be remedied through the power of knowledge and education.Last night a prominent Somali Poet, Mohamed Ibrahim Hadrawi (refer my poem "Hadrawi")has presented a long and rather meaningful poem in which he expressed his feelings towards the injustice of cultural segregation imposed upon these tribes. He dwelt on the consequences of such atrocities and warned the public to do away with these culturally backward beliefs. He stressed how shockingly awful it is to sideline a tribe that constitutes a significant part of the Somali population. It is extremely dreadful to learn that a girl is forced to divorce her husband just because her family had discovered that the man hails from a Midgan clan. They can separate the two but cannot break the bond of love. Though in Hargeisa at the moment, as part of my "Escape The Bullet Trip" I missed the wonderful occasion, which had been attended by high-ranking officials from the Somali-Land government and other groups from the civil society organizations. But fortunately I got hold of the widely-read newspaper of Jamhuriya which published the poem in its entirety. In addition, before I finished Hadrawi’s poem I felt inspired to write this one with some haste though. Photo from the internet

In the premises of cultural barbarism

They dig in evil caves of abhorrence

But with the light of sound education

They die away like a fading veneer

Those who believe in segregation

Are like the walls of a dilapidated house

Leaning forward to expect a mighty collapse

Glaring upon the waiting rocks of ignorance

Kissing the sand like a fallen statute of history